[152], Sixty-six percent of Laotians were Theravada Buddhist, 1.5 percent Christian, 0.1 percent Muslim, 0.1 percent Jewish, and 32.3 percent were other or traditional (mostly practitioners of Satsana Phi) in 2010. Laos held the chairmanship of ASEAN in 2016. ), total: 37.78 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 41.76 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 33.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2022 est. [27] Burial jars and other kinds of sepulchers suggest a complex society in which bronze objects appeared around 1500 BC, and iron tools were known from 700 BC. [73] The officials were to participate in a ceremony to mark the liberation of the Plain of Jars from the former Royal Lao government forces. WebU.S. Shop with confidence. Energy Efficiency Retrofitting of Buildings Challenges and Methods", Diller, Anthony; Edmondson, Jerry; Luo, Yongxian (2004). )$56.543 billion (2019 est. WebThe Kingdom of Laos. [114][115][116], The Lao economy depends on investment and trade with its neighbours, Thailand, Vietnam, and, especially in the north, China. (approximately $110 million)0.2% of GDP (2017 est.) After the Vietnam War ended in 1975, the communist Pathet Lao came to power, ending the civil war. [78] Of those Hmong who did return to Laos, some quickly escaped back to Thailand, describing discrimination and brutal treatment at the hands of Lao authorities. ), total population: 68.15 yearsmale: 66.49 yearsfemale: 69.88 years (2022 est. )3.32% (2019 est.). [citation needed], Laos's emergence from international isolation has been marked through improved and expanded relations with other countries including Russia, China, Thailand, Australia, Germany, Italy, Japan and Switzerland. )spirits: 4.46 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est. French is also used in public works in central and southern Laos and Luang Prabang and is a language of diplomacy and of the elite classes, higher professions and elders. ), total: 128,000 (2020 est. The revised constitution of 11 May 1957 omitted reference to the French Union, though close educational, health and technical ties with the former colonial power persisted. The proto-historic period is characterised by contact with Chinese and Indian civilisations. Archaeological exploration in Laos has been limited due to rugged and remote topography, a history of twentieth century conflicts which have left over two million tons of unexploded ordnance throughout the country, and local sensitivities to history which involve the Communist government of The khaen traditionally accompanied the singer in mor lam, the dominant style of folk music. [123] Approximately 77% of Lao farm households are self-sufficient in rice. [35] Anouvong was taken to Bangkok as a prisoner, where he died. "[132], The country's most widely recognised product may well be Beerlao, which in 2017 was exported to more than 20 countries worldwide. Click to enlarge. Sticky rice is generally preferred over jasmine rice, and sticky rice cultivation and production is thought to have originated in Laos. Lao (official), French, English, various ethnic languagesmajor-language sample(s): (Lao)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. [165] The 2017 documentary feature film Blood Road was predominantly shot and produced in Laos with assistance from the Lao government, it was recognised with a News and Documentary Emmy Award in 2018. In 1960, amidst a series of rebellions in the Kingdom of Laos, fighting broke out between the Royal Lao Army (RLA) and the communist North Vietnamese and Soviet Union-backed Pathet Lao guerillas. [167] One production company's film that has succeeded to produce Lao feature films and gain international recognition is Lao New Wave Cinema's At the Horizon, directed by Anysay Keola, that was screened at the OzAsia Film Festival[168] and Lao Art Media's Chanthaly (Lao: ) directed by Mattie Do, which was screened at the 2013 Fantastic Fest. note: data are in current year dollars$6.461 billion (2020 est.) [95], Human rights violations remain a significant concern in Laos. )permanent crops: 0.7% (2018 est. )58.4% of GDP (2016 est. Ninety-three percent of households have a telephone, either fixed line or mobile. Local tradition holds that there are three seasons (rainy, cool and hot) as the latter two months of the climatologically defined dry season are noticeably hotter than the earlier four months. Department of Statistics, Ministry of Planning and Investment, 2009. Laos (/los/ (listen)[9][d]), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao: , French: Rpublique dmocratique populaire lao), is a socialist state and the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. [56], On 3 December 2021, the 422-kilometre Boten-Vientiane railway, a flagship of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was opened. [139]:19, The martial art of muay Lao, the national sport,[180] is a form of kickboxing similar to Thailand's muay Thai, Burmese Lethwei and Cambodian Pradal Serey. )consumption: 15.823 million metric tons (2020 est. [70] Laos was admitted into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in July 1997 and acceded to the World Trade Organization in 2016. WebSearch from Kingdom Of Laos stock photos, pictures and royalty-free images from iStock. ), production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est. )5.1% (2020 est. )tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est. [44] On 9 March 1945, a nationalist group declared Laos once more independent, with Luang Prabang as its capital, but on 7 April 1945 two battalions of Japanese troops occupied the city. ), Mekong (shared with China [s], Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam [m]) - 4,350 kmnote [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth, Pacific Ocean drainage: Mekong (805,604 sq km), most densely populated area is in and around the capital city of Vientiane; large communities are primarily found along the Mekong River along the southwestern border; overall density is considered one of the lowest in Southeast Asia, landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested; the Mekong River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand, noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)adjective: Lao or Laotian, Lao 53.2%, Khmou 11%, Hmong 9.2%, Phouthay 3.4%, Tai 3.1%, Makong 2.5%, Katong 2.2%, Lue 2%, Akha 1.8%, other 11.6% (2015 est. [166], Australian filmmaker Kim Mordount's first feature film was made in Laos and features a Laotian cast speaking their native language. [145] The Lao belong to the Tai linguistic group[146] who began migrating south from China in the first millennium CE. Moreover, 130,000 deaths can be attributed to the civil war. Bounchao Pichit, "Laos Cinema," in David Hanan, ed., General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, Politburo of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, "Results of Population and Housing Census 2015", "Lao People's Democratic Republic's Constitution of 1991 with Amendments through 2003", https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2012/12/globalReligion-tables.pdf, "World Economic Outlook Database, April 2022", "Lao People's Democratic Republic and the WTO", "China train project runs roughshod over Laos", "Laos approves Xayaburi 'mega' dam on Mekong", "Laos Securities Exchange to start trading", "10 Things You Need to Know Before Visiting Laos", "Anatomically modern human in Southeast Asia (Laos) by 46 ka", "Archaeological Investigations in northern Laos: New contributions to Southeast Asian prehistory", "History and Practice of Archaeology in Laos", Pittayaporn, Pittayawat (2014). )8,244.843 (2017 est. In 1975, the communist Pathet Lao took control of the government, ending a six-century-old monarchy and instituting a strict socialist regime closely aligned to Between 1763 and 1769, Burmese armies overran northern Laos and annexed Luang Prabang, while Champasak eventually came under Siamese suzerainty. [61] According to the October 2007 UNODC fact book Opium Poppy Cultivation in South East Asia, the poppy cultivation area was 15 square kilometres (5.8sqmi), down from 18 square kilometres (6.9sqmi) in 2006. )services: 45.9% (2017 est. Laos has nine daily newspapers, 90 magazines, 43 radio stations, and 32 TV stations operating throughout the country. ), forest revenues: 1.48% of GDP (2018 est. ), 40.726 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est. [139]:8 Songthaews are used in the country for long-distance and local public transport. [24], An ancient human skull was recovered in 2009 from the Tam Pa Ling Cave in the Annamite Mountains in northern Laos; the skull is at least 46,000 years old, making it the oldest modern human fossil found to date in Southeast Asia. [81] Debate on the issue escalated quickly. Lao Soung account for about 10% of the population. ), conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republicconventional short form: Laoslocal long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Laolocal short form: Mueang Lao (unofficial)etymology: name means "Land of the Lao [people]", name: Vientiane (Viangchan)geographic coordinates: 17 58 N, 102 36 Etime difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)etymology: the meaning in Pali, a Buddhist liturgical language, is "city of sandalwood", 17 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural) and 1 prefecture* (kampheng nakhon); Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamxai, Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louangnamtha, Louangphabang (Luang Prabang), Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan (Vientiane)*, Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xaisomboun, Xekong, Xiangkhouang, 19 July 1949 (from France by the Franco-Lao General Convention); 22 October 1953 (Franco-Lao Treaty recognizes full independence), Republic Day (National Day), 2 December (1975), history: previous 1947 (preindependence); latest promulgated 13-15 August 1991amendments: proposed by the National Assembly; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly membership and promulgation by the president of the republic; amended 2003, 2015, civil law system similar in form to the French system, has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt, citizenship by birth: nocitizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Laosdual citizenship recognized: noresidency requirement for naturalization: 10 years, chief of state: President THONGLOUN Sisoulit (since 22 March 2021); Vice Presidents PANI Yathotou and BOUNTHONG Chitmani (since 22 March 2021)head of government: Prime Minister PHANKHAM Viphavan (since 22 March 2021); Deputy Prime Ministers CHANSAMON Chan-gnalat, SONXAI Siphandon, KIKEO Khaikhamphithoun (since 22 March 2021); VILAI Lakhamfong, SALEUMXAI Kommasit (since June 2022)cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the National Assemblyelections/appointments: president and vice president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 22 March 2021 (next to be held in March 2026); prime minister nominated by the president, elected by the National Assembly for 5-year termelection results: 2021: THONGLOUN Sisoulit (LPRP) elected president; National Assembly vote: 161-1; PANI Yathotou and BOUNTHONG Chitmani (LPRP) elected vice presidents; National Assembly vote NA; PHANKHAM Viphavan (LPRP) elected prime minister; National Assembly vote: 158-32016: BOUNNYANG Vorachit (LPRP) elected president; PHANKHAM Viphavan (LPRP) elected vice president; percent of National Assembly vote - NA; THONGLOUN Sisoulit (LPRP) elected prime minister; percent of National Assembly vote - NA, description: unicameral National Assembly or Sapha Heng Xat (164 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote from candidate lists provided by the Lao People's Revolutionary Party; members serve 5-year terms)elections: last held on 21 February 2021 (next to be held in 2026)election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LPRP 158, independent 6; composition - men 128, women 36, percent of women 21.9%, highest court(s): People's Supreme Court (consists of the court president and organized into criminal, civil, administrative, commercial, family, and juvenile chambers, each with a vice president and several judges)judge selection and term of office: president of People's Supreme Court appointed by the National Assembly upon the recommendation of the president of the republic for a 5-year term; vice presidents of the People's Supreme Court appointed by the president of the republic upon the recommendation of the National Assembly; appointment of chamber judges NA; tenure of court vice presidents and chamber judges NAsubordinate courts: appellate courts; provincial, municipal, district, and military courts, Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [THONGLOUN Sisoulit]note: other parties proscribed, ADB, ARF, ASEAN, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, chief of mission: Ambassador SisavathINPHACHANH (since 7 June 2022)chancery: 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008telephone: [1] (202) 328-9148; [1] (202) 332-6416FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923email address and website: embasslao@gmail.com; laoemb@verizon.nethttps://laoembassy.com/consulate(s): New York, chief of mission: Ambassador Peter HAYMOND (since 7 February 2020)embassy: Ban Somvang Tai, Thadeua Road, Km 9,Hatsayfong District, Vientianemailing address: 4350 Vientiane Place, Washington DC 20521-4350telephone: [856] 21-48-7000FAX: [856] 21-48-7040email address and website: CONSLAO@state.govhttps://la.usembassy.gov/, three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band; the red bands recall the blood shed for liberation; the blue band represents the Mekong River and prosperity; the white disk symbolizes the full moon against the Mekong River, but also signifies the unity of the people under the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, as well as the country's bright future, elephant; national colors: red, white, blue, name: "Pheng Xat Lao" (Hymn of the Lao People)lyrics/music: SISANA Sisane/THONGDY Sounthonevichitnote: music adopted 1945, lyrics adopted 1975; the anthem's lyrics were changed following the 1975 Communist revolution that overthrew the monarchy, total World Heritage Sites: 3 (all cultural)selected World Heritage Site locales: Town of Luangphrabang; Vat Phou and Associated Ancient Settlements; Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang - Plain of Jars. The attack resulted in the RLA largely demobilising, leaving the conflict to irregular ethnic Hmong forces of the "Secret Army" backed by the United States and Thailand, and led by General Vang Pao. Vientiane prefecture, the capital and largest city, had about 683,000 residents in 2020. 0 / 5 0 lt. WikiMatrix In spite of war in this tiny landlocked kingdom of Laos, the angel flying in midheaven keeps the door open for the message of the Kingdom to be sounded. He later died under suspicious circumstances in a re-education camp. [94] Plans to resettle additional Hmong refugees in the United States were stalled by provisions of President George W. Bush's Patriot Act and Real ID Act, under which Hmong veterans of the Secret War, who fought on the side of the United States, are classified as terrorists because of their historical involvement in armed conflict. The Lao alphabet, which evolved sometime between the 13th and 14th centuries, was derived from the ancient Khmer script and is very similar to Thai script. [143], The term "Laotian" does not necessarily refer to the Lao language, ethnic Lao people, language or customs. [155] Government expenditure on health is about four percent of GDP,[155] about US$18 (PPP) in 2006. )hydroelectricity: 64.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est. Its first railway line, a short 3-km long metre-gauge railway that connects southern Vientiane to Thailand, only opened in 2009. )1.03% (2020 est. [119] The economy receives development aid from the International Monetary Fund, Asian Development Bank, and other international sources; and also foreign direct investment for development of the society, industry, hydropower and mining (most notably of copper and gold). However, only slightly more than half of the population speaks Lao natively. 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